Ryan Ramsey is the Libertarian Heathen. He serves as the Region 4 Representative and Bradford County Chairman for The Libertarian Party of Florida. He is also the National Director of Public Relations and Florida Vice-President of the American Guard.

Libertarian Party of Florida Delivers on Election Day

The new leadership of the LPF faced its first real test November 7, and silenced the critics by electing 2 candidates, as special elections loom, and our slate of candidates for the general election in 2018 is already the largest since 2001, a full year before.

The 2016 election was a turning point for the strategy discussion among the LPF. The US Senate primary was historic, but in the end, a ton of energy was wasted to field a terrible candidate. Meanwhile, the Miami-Dade LPF Affiliate implemented an alternative idea. The idea is to shift focus on smaller local races, especially unopposed seats, where our charismatic volunteers can make a difference and beat the establishment. The 2016 election was proof of concept, and more libertarians were elected in just Miami-Dade, than the rest of Florida combined. This success was a key element in the delegates choice at the 2017 LPF Convention to elect one of the architects of this success, Marcos Miralles, as LPF Chair.

Altamonte Springs lies just north of Orlando in Seminole County. Army Veteran and former LNC Chair Jim Turney was elected as Commissioner, District 1. This is a classic example of a situation we see all across the US, with many local races ignored by the governed, despite the fact that most of our daily interaction with government is with county or municipal laws, enforced by county or municipal police/bureaucrats. I wrote about these positions and their importance in taking back our liberties in the Free County Initiative.

If you look at the election results, Commissioner-Elect Turney won one of multiple seats with only one qualifying candidate. Throughout America vacant seats on local government bodies offer enormous opportunity for the Libertarian Party to begin showcasing the power of our principles, and serve as stepping stones to higher office. There should be no seat empty, they should be filled with a libertarian. Nobody should run unopposed, they should have to debate and compete with us. Great job Seminole LPF and Jim Turney! To get involved, go to their Facebook Page and read the list of candidates they are seeking for 2018, and be the change you want in the world.

In Coconut Grove, Zachary Elliot was elected to the Village Council. This is in LPF Miami-Dade territory, and this race shook up the Democrat opposition in a major way. Another component of the new approach to electing libertarians has been running multiple people for the same bodies, as you will likely succeed in getting at least one or more elected, with a possibility of taking over an entire governing body. Also running were Sacha Penson DuBéarn, Greg Eversole, and Eddy Nagy.

The Democrat machine went into a total panic, as they faced down 4 solid LPF candidates, backed by the experienced and motivated LPF team, lead by charismatic activist Pierre Crevaux. Libertarians from all over Central and South Florida turned out to support the effort. The Democrats were forced to resort to fear mongering over everything from Nazis in the bushes to telling residents we would have everyone open carrying assault rifles. The voters did not buy it.

Election returns showed the lowest performing LPF candidate was a mere 23 votes behind a Democrat, and the other two LPF candidates who were not seated still received more votes than multiple Democrats. They will now have to answer to a libertarian on the Village Council, and the tough questions they have never had to explain in regards to taxes and regulations on the residents of Coconut Grove.

Moving forward, December 19 will see a special election for Florida House of Representatives, with Brian Zemina running for the District 58 . LPF At-Large Director Alison Foxall is running in a special election for Florida House, District 72 on February 13, 2018 in Sarasota.

If you asked most people when the next election was, they would say November 2018. Meanwhile, LPF volunteers are not just gaining valuable experience to assist candidates like myself in the 2018 general election, but actually electing candidates and taking a seat at the table in the halls of power in between cycles. This week saw a number of other states who successfully employed the model, it is no longer a theory, but a proven winning strategy. Other candidates elected nationwide include:

What are you waiting for? The success in these elections must be carried forward, and built upon on the 2018 and 2020 election cycles, and special elections in between. If we keep up the pressure we can start making inroads into the US Congress in coming elections. Our hard work in the next few years will be the key to realizing the Libertarian Party’s true destiny, to permanently neutralize Marxist tyranny in the United States, and in our lifetimes. Get off the couch, and get on the ballot!